Apparatus for playing a board game

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for playing a game in which there is provided a board having a peripheral path divided into a plurality of steps grouped to form a plurality of sections arranged in sequence along said path, and an inner circuitous path connecting once with each of said sections of the peripheral path, a plurality of markers of which an outer path marker of each player is in play moved step by step through said sections around said peripheral path and an inner path marker is moved step by step along at least a part of said inner path, in which by travelling along the inner circuitous path, the player may incur penalties or obtain rewards according to the position of his inner path marker along the inner circuitous path, each move being determined by a chance reading of an indicia bearing means, a plurality of pieces representing money, said pieces being alloted to each player before the game commences, a plurality of symbols representing articles which can be purchased by a player with the money during the game, the symbols bearing indicia designating numbers of points which contribute to a total required by each player to win the game, at least one pack of cards providing for penalties or rewards to a player according to the position of his markers on parts of said paths and each said section of said peripheral path indicating what articles can be purchased when a player&#39;&#39;s outer path marker is within that section.

United States Patent 1 1 Adcoek Jan. 7, 1975 APPARATUS FOR PLAYING ABOARD GAME [76] Inventor: Alan Adcock, 41 Nottingham PL,

London, England Filed: Feb. 6, 1973 Appl. No.: 330,072

[5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/1939 McGennis 273/134 AF2,458,966 1/1949 Waldrop 273/134 C 3,740,037 6/1973 DeBono 273/134 AFFOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 915,550 1/1963 Great Britain 273/134 ACPrimary Examiner-Delbert B. Lowe Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Holman & Stern[57] ABSTRACT Apparatus for playing a game in which there is provided aboard having a peripheral path divided into a PEIIALTV UPPUIIIUNITYplurality of steps grouped to form a plurality of sections arranged insequence along said path, and an inner circuitous path connecting oncewith each of said sections of the peripheral path, a plurality ofmarkers of which an outer path marker of each player is in play movedstep by step through said sections around said peripheral path and aninner path marker is moved step by step along at least a part of saidinner path, in which by travelling along the inner circuitous path, theplayer may incur penalties or obtain rewards according to the positionof his inner path marker along the inner circuitous path, each movebeing determined by a chance reading of an indicia bearing means, aplurality of pieces representing money. said pieces being alloted toeach player before the game commences, a plurality of symbolsrepresenting articles which can be purchased by a player with the moneyduring the game, the symbols bearing indicia designating numbers ofpoints which contribute to a total required by each player to win thegame, at least one pack of cards providing for penalties or rewards to aplayer according to the position of his markers on parts of said pathsand each said section of said pcripheral path indicating what articlescan be purchased when a players outer path marker is within thatsection,

4 Claims, 2 Drawing [Figures MISFOIIIUNE ll APPARATUS FOR PLAYING ABOARD GAME BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates toapparatus for playing a board game, more particularly a board gameinvolving elements of chance and judgment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention consists in apparatus for playinga game comprising a board having a peripheral path divided into aplurality of steps grouped to form a plurality of sections arranged insequence along the said path, and an inner circuitous path connectingonce with each of the said sections of the peripheral path, a pluralityof markers of which an outer path marker of each player is in play movedstep by step through said sections around said peripheral path and aninner path marker is moved step by step along at least a part of saidinner path, with each move being determined by a chance reading of anindicia bearing means, a plurality of pieces representing money, and aplurality of symbols representing articles which can be purchased, eachsymbol representing a known number of points which contributes to atotal required by each player to win the game, and means providing forpenalties or rewards to a player according to his position on parts ofsaid paths.

Preferably, each of said sections indicates which articles can be boughtwhen a players marker is within that section, and the rewards orpenalties are indicated on cards.

The plurality of symbols can conveniently represent articles such asplants, vegetables, etc., and other items such as greenhouses, seats,and tools which would be found in a garden, and individual boardsrepresenting gardens of different types can be provided upon which tomount said symbols as they are collected by a player.

The invention will be further described, by way of example only, withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 shows a playing board of a gameaccording to the invention, and

FIG. 2 shows an individual board representing a garden upon whichsymbols can be mounted.

The subject of this embodiment of the game is a garden, and itemsinvolved in playing the game are connected with gardens and gardening.

Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, a playing board is marked with anouter peripheral path 1 and an inner circuitous path 2, with the path 2representing a path meandering through a garden. Both peripheral andcircuitous paths are divided into a plurality of steps 3 and 4,respectively.

The peripheral path 1 is divided into twelve sections 5 representing the12 months of the year, and each step 3 of path 1 represents a week ofthe year. Each section 5 includes four steps or weeks, and four cornersteps are provided marked Penalty, Chance, Opportunity" and Misfortunefor the purpose outlined hereinafter. Additionally, each section 5 ismarked with a number of different species of garden plant, shrub ortree, and the sections 5 of 2 winter months January and February areshaded.

The inner circuitous path 2 forms a closed path around theboard. Branchsections 6 of the path 2 connect the main part of the path 2 with onestep or week in each of the month sections of the other peripheralpath 1. The path 2 also connects with a central portion of the playingboard divided into four rectangles 7. Each rectangle 7 counts as a stepin the path 2.

The four rectangles 7 are marked Penalty," Chance, Opportunity andMisfortune and four packs of cards are provided, one for each rectangle.The cards of the Chance" and Opportunity" packs indicate differentrewards of varying degree to be awarded to a player, and the cards ofthe Penalty and Misfortune packs indicate penalties of varying severityto be inflicted on a player. A card is read and its instructions obeyedif a player, during the course of a game, lands on a step 4 of path 2which is suitably marked to indicate one of the four types of card, oron one of the four corner steps of the peripheral path 1.

A set of boards are provided, one board 8 of which is illustrated inFIG. 2. The board 8 represents a country house and garden. It isprovided with a plurality of slots 9 for holding symbols 10.

Other similar boards are provided representing other gardens and all thegardens are allotted monetary and point values as follows:

Interest Value Points Mortgage per year Town garden 500 400 250 l2. l0.0d. Cottage garden 33 350 300 I 8. 15. 0d. Country garden 1000 750 50025. Formal garden 2000 1500 1000 50.

Accessories (Square headed signs) No. of Abbreviation Each itemAccessory of Points Cost Available Accessory 4 Cold frame CF 5 5 8 FenceFE 50 50 8 Fertilizer F l5 5 6 Fish Fl l0 l0 4 Fountain F0 50 50 8Garden Furniture GF 50 50 6 Garden ornaments G0 25 25 6 Greenhouse-smallGS 25 25 6 Greenhouse-large GL 50 50 8 Manure M l5 :8 5 6 Paving stonesPS 25 25 4 Pergola PE 25 25 6 Pond P 50 50 4 Rookery R I00 6 Summerhouse SH 50 50 2 Swimming pool SP 350 450 2 Tennis court TC 250 350 2Terrace T 350 450 2 Tool shed T0 15 15 4 Wall W 50 50 Plants (Roundheaded signs) No. of Abbreviation Each Item Plant of Points CostAvailable Plant 120 Annuals A 5 5 8 Asparagus AS 10 5 20 Bulbs B 5 5 8Carnations C 5 5 8 Chrysanthemums CH 5 5 l5 Climbers-Pots CL 10 5 8Dahlias D 5 5 20 Evergreens E 15 15 25 Fruit trees FT 20 15 25 Fruitbushes FB 15 10 20 Heather HT l 2O Hedges H 20 20 40 Herbaceous HE 5 550 Lawn-seed LS 5 5 l00 Lawn-turf LT a6 10 8 Marrow MA 10 5 8 Orchids O25 10 8 Rhubarb RH 5 5 8 Ridge cucumbers RC 5 5 35 Rock plants-P RP 5 520 Roses R0 5 5 50 Shrubs S :3 l5 8 Tomatoes TO 10 5 l5 Treeslarge TL 5050 15 Treessmall TS 25 25 l Vegetables V 5 5 8 Waterlilies W 10 5Ownership of cold frames or greenhouses enables players to buy certainplants during the shaded months of the board at reduced cost in what istermed, for the purpose of the game, seed or cutting form, although theboard is not marked with seeds and cuttings. Players should remember toplant out these plants in the appropriate month indicated. Cold framesand greenhouses take vegetables, marrows, cucumbers, tomatoes andannuals. The allowed limit is 4 per frame. Greenhouses also takedahlias, Chrysanthemums, orchids, carnations, grapes and peaches.

Counters are provided which are marked to represent different monetarydenominations, and also two sets of markers, namely, a set of inner pathmarkers and a set of outer path markers. Each player has an inner pathmarker and an outer path marker, with the inner path marker for movingalong the inner path 2 and the outer path marker around the outer path 1according to the throw of a die.

The game is played according to the following rules and instructions:

How Does Your Garden Grow? is a game that can be played by two to eightplayers.

The winner of the game is the first player to plant up his garden to therequired number of points stipulated for his plot and then complete onecircuit of the planting year (52 squares) without dropping any points.

Before the game begins each player chooses an outer path marker, aninner path marker and a garden plot, if necessary by the throw of thedice.

According to what garden plot each player holds, the bank allots, at thebeginning of the game, a sum of money sufficient to enable the player toplant up the garden.

Players should allow for the possibility of paying for a penalty ormisfortune, although a chance or opportunity card may offset by itsreward any financial difficulty or disaster incurred.

The number of points required and the money provided by the bank foreach garden are:

Cottage garden 300 points, 350. Town garden 400 points 500. Countrygarden 750 points 1,000. Formal garden 1,500 points 2,000.

Gardens can be planted up with plants (round headed signs) andaccessories (square headed signs) which, with the exceptions of fish,are non-living things. Every garden must have at least half its totalpoints scored in plants, but, if a player wishes, all points can bescored through plants. A player can score more than the total number ofpoints required for a particular garden providing the accessories do notexceed more than half the points scored.

As long as this rule is observed, players can plant up their gardens toany design they like. Accessories or plants can only be bought when itis the players turn and before the throw of the die. Accessories can bebought by a player at any time of the year, but plants can only bebought in the month indicated on the board and when that players outerpath marker rests on a square of the section coresponding to thatparticular month. The shaded'months of the board enable players to buycertain plants as seedlings at half cost, if they hold cold frames orgreenhouses. It is advisable for players to have in mind what accessoryor plant they want to buy before their turn comes, as otherwise the gamecan get slowed down through players hesitating over their purchases whenit is their turn. It will be appreciated that the accessories or plantsbought by a player when it is his turn are those allowable in accordancewith that section in which the players outer path marker rests beforethe throw of the die, and not those allowable in accordance with thatsection in which the players outer path marker rests after his turn.

Players are restricted to buying at their turn one accessory or fiveplants or less of any one value, e.g., all 5. plants. Players do nothave to buy at each turn.

Players, if they wish or need to, can sell back to the bank any plantsor accessories at their turn. This does not prevent them buyingsomething else at the same time.

The outer path markers are for moving around the months of the year(outer section of the board) and the inner path markers for moving alongthe garden paths (inner area).

Players throw for who starts first. Players can place their outer pathmarkers on any square (week) of any month to start, that particularsquare being counted in the number the player throws on the die. Theouter path markers must move in a clockwise (calendar) di rection. Thefour corner squares each count as a week.

Players must place their inner path markers on the connected path 6which connects with the plants they select to begin the game, with theinner path marker being placed on the square of the connecting path 6immediately adjacent the peripheral path. Players move their inner pathmarkers clockwise the same number of squares as their outer pathmarkers. At the beginning of each month they must count the square theirinner path markers are on in the number thrown on the die.

As a players throw takes the outer path marker into another month, thenon the next turn the inner path marker must be placed at the beginningof the connected path 6 which connects with the month the outer pathmarker is now in, i.e., on the square of the new connected pathimmediately adjacent the peripheral path.

If players wish, they can move their inner path markers in a differentmanner, provided they announce before their turn that they are Going upthe garden path, they can then move their inner path markers along anypath, independently of the months, but always in a clockwise direction.In other words, a player may move his inner path marker continuouslyaround the inner circuitous path rather than placing his inner pathmarker at the beginning of the section of the inner circuitous pathwhich interconnects with the outer path at the beginning of each turn,as described above. If a player finds this way unsatisfactory, a changeback to the movement by months can be made provided the intention isdeclared at one turn and made at the next.

The four center squares marked Penalty, Chance, Misfortune andOpportunity are counted in the paths. No matter what course a player istaking, if the last count of the number is a center square, then theplayer places the inner path marker there and takes a card, as wouldhappen on any garden path square so marked and landed on. Players cancount the center squares in their garden path progress provided thedirection is a clockwise one.

In one throw a player can move his inner path marker only through onecenter square, i.e., upon reaching a center square from the path 2, hemust move back onto the path 2 in a clockwise direction. A player cannotmove directly from one center square to another center square.

When a players outer path marker comes to rest on a corner square,holiday, hospital, jail, bad weather, as a result of a throw (notdirected there by a card) the appropriate card must be taken from thecenter square.

The corner squares form part of the outer path. When a player lands onone of these corner squares, he is obliged to take a card from the stackindicated by the small square inset in the larger corner square. Inother words, if a player lands on the jail" square, he must take a cardfrom the Penalty pack. Special cards can be bought (for the purposeexplained below) at any time, provided it is the players turn, but noaccessories or plants can be bought at that turn.

lfa player holds a special card and through the result of a throw has todraw a penalty card, then there is no obligation to draw this card ifthe player is prepared to give up immediately to the bank the specialcard held. Of course, a player may prefer to look at the card to see ifthe penalty applies or is worth surrendering a special card. There is noobligation to surrender a special card to nullify a penalty.

A player cannot hold more than one special card at any time.

The bank receives and makes all payments for any center square card.

All garden stock and accessories are held by the bank and can only bebought through the bank.

No player is allowed to monopolize the buying of any one plant oraccessory, i.e., no player can hold three quarters or more of the totalstock of any one plant or accessory unless agreed.

No player is allowed to buy plants or accessories to deliberatelyforestall any other players completing their gardens.

Garden plots can be mortgaged to the bank but only if the player is infinancial difficulties. Mortgage and interest has to be paid back beforethe player can begin the final 12 month run around the board. Mortgagesare half the cost of the plot and interest is at 5 percent a year.

When a player has amassed the required number of points for the gardenplot held, the player announces the completion of the garden design.Then, the player takes the inner path marker and places it on the sameouter circuit planting square where the outer path marker rests. Theinner path marker will indicate the last square the player has to reachor pass in completing the 12 month circuit without losing any points.Should the player drop any points in circulating the board, then theinner path marker has to be returned to the garden path area and movedaccording to the rules until the lost points have been acquired again;then the player has another try at the circuit.

After planting up their gardens to the required number of points,players can, when they begin their final complete circuit of the board,keep their inner path markers on the garden paths and move them month bymonth as when planting up their gardens. This increases the likelihoodof players encountering difficulties and having to sell or lose plantsor accessories, thus nullifying their final round.

Warning: The planting times indicated on the board have been arranged tomake the game interesting and are not an accurate guide for a realgarden. Planting times vary according to the suitability of the weather,the type of garden soil and the kind of plant and its form.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for playing a game comprising a board having a peripheralpath divided into a plurality of steps grouped to form a plurality ofsections arranged in sequence along said path, and an inner circuitouspath connecting once with each of said sections of the peripheral path,a plurality of markers of which an outer path marker of each player isin play moved step by step through said sections around said peripheralpath and an inner path marker is moved step by step along at least apart of said inner path, in which by travelling along the innercircuitous path, the player may incur penalties or obtain rewardsaccording to the position of his inner path marker, each move beingdetermined by a chance reading of an indicia bearing means, a pluralityof pieces representing money, said pieces being alotted to each playerbefore the game commences, and a plurality of symbols representingarticles which can be purchased by a player with the money during thegame, the symbols bearing indicia designating numbers of points whichcontribute to a total required by each player to win the game, meansproviding for penalties or rewards to a player according to the positionof his markers on parts of said paths and each said sections of saidperipheral path indicating what articles can be purchased when a playerssaid outer path marker is within that section.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim. 1 wherein the said means providing forpenalties or rewards is at least one pack of cards, the cards of whichindicate various penalties or rewards, in play, a card being turned overand its instructions obeyed when a players marker comes to rest on amarked part of a path.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further compris' ing a plurality ofcollecting boards upon which the symbols can be mounted as they arecollected by the players during play.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein said collecting boards eachhave a plurality of slits in which symbols can be held.

1. Apparatus for playing a game comprising a board having a peripheralpath divided into a plurality of steps grouped to form a plurality ofsections arranged in sequence along said path, and an inner circuitouspath connecting once with each of said sections of the peripheral path,a plurality of markers of which an outer path marker of each player isin play moved step by step through said sections around said peripheralpath and an inner path marker is moved step by tep along at least a partof said inner path, in which by travelling along the inner circuitouspath, the player may incur penalties or obtain rewards according to theposition of his inner path marker, each move being determined by achance reading of an indicia bearing means, a plurality of piecesrepresenting money, said pieces being alotted to each player before thegame commences, and a plurality of symbols representing articles whichcan be purchased by a player with the money during the game, the symbolsbearing indicia designating numbers of points which contribute to atotal required by each player to win the game, means providing forpenalties or rewards to a player according to the position of hismarkers on parts of said paths and each said sections of said peripheralpath indicating what articles can be purchased when a player''s saidouter path marker is within that section.
 2. Apparatus as claimed inclaim 1 wherein the said means providing for penalties or rewards is atleast one pack of cards, the cards of which indicate various penaltiesor rewards, in play, a card being turned over and its instructionsobeyed when a player''s marker comes to rest on a marked part of a path.3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a plurality ofcollecting boards upon which the symbols can be mounted as they arecollected by the players during play.
 4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3wherein said collecting boards each have a plurality of slits in whichsymbols can be held.